Oakland photojournalist robbed of cameras

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Another member of the media was robbed at gunpoint Tuesday in Oakland.

Veteran Bay Area News Group photojournalist D. Ross Cameron had finished taking pictures of a lead-abatement project at a home near the corner of 29th and West streets in West Oakland when he was accosted by two men about 11:30 a.m.

The men stole two cameras and two lenses from him at gunpoint before jumping into a car, described as a Lexus or Jaguar.

“I’m OK,” Cameron said as he sat in the front seat of an Oakland police SUV giving a statement to Officer Michael Morse. “I’m angry — and embarrassed.”

Cameron has been an East Bay photojournalist for 24 years.

The episode is the latest in a spate of holdups or confrontations targeting the media in Oakland, some in the middle of the day. In one incident, a robber grabbed a camera during a live noon broadcast.

A colleague of Cameron, photojournalist Laura Oda, was twice robbed of her cameras in 2012 in Oakland.

In response, several TV stations have hired security guards to shadow reporters and camera operators in Oakland. Many of the guards are retired police officers.